Hotel Giles

Hotel Giles at night

At this time last week, we were staying at the Hotel Giles in Comfort, TX (https://www.hotelgiles.com/). We had driven 687 miles to Comfort to experience the total eclipse of the sun. Comfort, TX, was in the direct path of the eclipse, so we got around 4 minutes and 20 seconds of totality. Hotel Giles is a wonderful hotel that was perfect for viewing the eclipse with its large open space behind the hotel. The owners and staff were friendly and went out of their way to make our stay pleasant and memorable. They kept us informed on what was happening in Comfort, arranged for lunch, and made the guests dinner for a reasonable price on Monday since most restaurants were closed on Monday. A delicious home-cooked breakfast was included in the price of the room, and the coffee was excellent. If you are in the area, I highly recommend staying at the Hotel Giles.

The Hotel Giles was originally Hotal Faust, designed and built by architect Alfred Giles for Paul Ingenhuett in 1880. Alfred Giles was an English architect who moved to San Antonio, TX, in 1875 for health reasons and became a well-known and influential architect in San Antonio, southwestern Texas, and northern Mexico. He was also involved in ranching near Comfort. You can read more about Alfred Giles at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Giles_(architect).

The room we stayed in.

Interior stairway and the Parlor where guests gather. They have jam sessions on Friday nights.

This guy had been waiting for years for the eclipse.

The courtyard and gazebo at night.

The Cottage, a covered deck, and the Cabin.

The barn and a Tesla charging station out front.

51 thoughts on “Hotel Giles

    • I was talking to the owners about the guitar, which was made in England, and they mentioned they had jam sessions on Friday evenings. They said several musicians in town participate. That would be a lot of fun to take part in.

      • Will you go back and do that? We have a thing simply called the folk musicans in pubs here and it when folks who can play just come and jam together, often they have never met before. Always is good.

  1. What a superb post and it would appear that you found the perfect place to observe the eclipse. I love the ceiling in the Hotel Giles….the whole place looks wonderful. Even with cloudy conditions your photograph of the Corona is excellent. Thank you…

  2. It looks like Hotel Giles was the perfect place to enjoy the eclips. But be careful when waiting for years for the next eclipse…

  3. Loved this post, Tim. Looks like a very welcoming place from all the shots, and a great location to hang out for a spell…although there is little doubt that dude on the patio chair needed to get up and move around once in awhile. 🙂

    • It’s a wonderful hotel. It is a long drive. Our old bones felt it more than the last long drive to San Diego in 2019. Thanks, Lavinia.

  4. Tim, I like the oxymoron with the old hotel and the EV charger right outside. Modernity goes crashing through history. Or history adapting.

    • That’s what I thought. I did not see any Tesla’s in Texas. I saw two EV pickup trucks on the road. One had a range extender batter pack mounted above the bed of the pickup and the other was towing a trailer with a range extender battery pack mounted above the bed of the trailer. Thanks, Brad.

      • A guy we know in Austin has one. He parks next to about 100 of them at work each day (by the chargers).

        • I’m not surprised there would be a bunch of Teslas in Austin. There are a lot of Teslas in our village, also.

  5. Gee, that’s one neat hotel.

    Love all the pics, thanks Tim!

    I guess that guy who was waiting for the eclipse, is now successfully waiting for the next one. No need to hurry! xx

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